Midnight Moon
by Reckless Dreamer
Summary: Hitomi's a highschool student who just broke up with her boyfriend of 3 years because of a man she met in a cab. Will anything good come from this man? Especially since he's the president of a major law firm? R&R please. Rated for language and fluff
1. a Cab and a Stranger

Hitomi walked out under the pouring rain, only a miniature umbrella to keep her from getting her clothes wet. She hadn't exactly chosen a fancy or frilly outfit to go see Allen, but it still was expensive and hard to get dry.

People rushed by her, mostly couples wrapped in each other's arms, and she felt a pang hit her heart. Allen never held her like that anymore. He used to, in the beginning when they first started dating and the love was fresh and pure, but now he just hugged her half-heartedly and sent her on her way. She shook her head, grateful that it was raining so it was hard to notice her tears.

Her car, a nice black Jeep Cherokee, was in the repair shop and she had to take a cab in order to get to the club, Midnight Moon, and she wasn't exactly happy about it. Cabs were filthy and most of the time the cab drivers didn't speak understandable English. Plus, she always over tipped and she ran out of money fast whenever she took a cab.

After several tries, she finally hailed one, and gave the old man the name of her destination. The man picked up a radio of his and muttered something into it. A little staticky voice spoke back to him and the man sighed.

He turned back to Hitomi and said, "Sorry, lady, but because of the cab shortages, you're gonna have to share one."

Hitomi sighed and nodded her head. Peachy. She was late enough as is. "Well, could you please pick up someone? I'm late for a meeting."

The driver nodded and pulled over. "Here's the next fare."

Hitomi turned to look at the person getting in the cab and found she was staring into a pair of blood red garnet eyes, peaking through layered raven feathers. "S-Sorry, miss. I thought this cab was unoccupied."

"Hey, get in bucko, you'll get the seats wet." The driver growled and the new man slid in, forcing Hitomi to scoot over as well. "Sorry, lover boy, but we've gotta share cabs nowadays. If you want privacy, get a limo or your own car." He said and turned away from the curb. "Where ya headed?"

"Midnight Moon. It's on the corner of 8th and 3rd." Hitomi looked over at the man, who's head was staring out the fogged window at the rain.

"You're going to Midnight Moon?" Hitomi asked him. The man looked at her and Hitomi blushed as she realized how stunning he was. The man nodded and turned back to the window.

"Where are you headed, miss?"

"Midnight Moon." The man looked back at her, and studied her face with those garnet eyes and quickly looked at her attire, never lingering anywhere except her face.

"Date or business?" He asked.

Hitomi was silent for a moment. She had to remember Allen or else she probably would've gotten swept up in those eyes. They were all too hypnotizing. "Date." She whispered. She cleared her throat and asked, "and you, sir? Date or business?"

"Business." He said simply, turning back to the window.

"May I ask what kind of business?"

She saw his reflection grin. "Only if I can ask what kind of date."

Hitomi caught herself smiling, but it slowly dissolved into a frown. She wanted to say a night to remember, but that wasn't the case. She was going to go have a couple drinks with Allen, and she'd probably be home by 10. That's how it always was. "Probably a boring night." She whispered. "And you? What kind of business meeting takes place at Midnight Moon, a rave of sorts?"

He grinned. "My client wanted to meet me there, and since I always believed in the customer first, I agreed."

Hitomi turned in her seat to look at him directly. "And what is it that you do, mister…"

The man turned towards her, their knees but a twitch apart, and Hitomi knew she was probably the only one that noticed. "Van. Van Fanel. I work in Fanelia Industries. It's basically a law firm that has been in my family for generations." His smile wilted a bit, but with a shake of his head it was back. Momentary flash backs aren't exactly the best things in the world. "And you, miss…?"

"Hitomi. Hitomi Kanzaki. I'm still in high school but I work at a gypsy store that sells tarot cards, crystals, good luck charms and such." She smiled remembering her first day at the store. She was so caught up with the stuff being sold, she hardly sold anything that day. "All of it is authentic, and all of it is mystifying." She blinked a couple times and awoke from her flashback. Her hand went to her neck and she fingered the little pendant she had received as payment from Madame Louise. She pulled it out from under her shirt and held it out as far as the black chain would allow so Van could see. "I was given this from my boss as a good luck charm. I hardly ever take it off and it does bring me good luck."

Van's eyes looked the stone over carefully. "My father had a similar stone in his office. It's in a glass case in a cabinet among his things. It's really pretty. It's one of my favorite things that he had left in my possession." He explained.

Hitomi tucked the pendant back into her shirt and folded her hands in her lap. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it and stared at her hands.

"So, who are you meeting? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Both?"

She looked back up at Van and sighed. "Boyfriend." She noticed his smile died at the edges, and it made Hitomi smile a bit. "I think I'm going to break up with him, though." She whispered and that brought the smile back.

"Why?"

She shrugged and turned her head away from him. She felt stupid admitting this kind of stuff to a stranger, but she wanted to tell someone. "Because things aren't the way they were before. He doesn't hold me, and when he hugs me, it's for but a moment and then he sends me on my way. He stares at other girls when he's around me and I've already caught him kissing other girls twice."

"Why didn't you dump him earlier?"

She sighed and felt tears watering up in her eyes. "Because, as much as I hate to admit it, I love him. That little lingering emotion keeps me with him and keeps telling my mind that he'll stop being a jerk." She whipped the tear away and whispered. "I'm tired of being treated like old trash. I want something that he can't give me anymore." She laughed cruelly and she almost choked on it. "As preschool as it sounds, I want to find love. A new love that won't die like ours has."

Van reached out and touched her chin, lifting her face gently with his fingers. He pulled a hanky from out of his pocket and whipped the tears away from under her eyes. "Come now, you'll ruin your makeup if you cry like that." He brushed his thumb against her jaw and tucked a strand of honey blonde hair behind her ear. "If he makes you so unhappy, then do what you think is right." He smiled at her warmly and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Thanks. I needed that." She sniffled gently and shook her head softly; her gelled and layered hair twirling around her. "We're here." She said and nodded her head towards the building that their cab stopped in front of.

She reached for her wallet to pay the driver, but Van touched her hand gently. "I'll pay for it. You don't want to keep your date waiting." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek gently.

"Thank you, Mr. Fanel."

He handed the money to the cab driver and slowly looked at her, grinning. "Well, no pretty girl deserves to be treated like dirt." He slid out of the cab and offered her his hand. She accepted it and allowed him to pull her out of the car and pulled her trench coat over her head so to keep her hair dry from the rain. She ran to the door of the club and showed her ID to the bouncer at the door. Van followed behind and did the same. The bouncer nodded his head and opened the door for them. Hitomi walked in, Van trailing behind, and saw Allen sitting at a table by himself whispering to some girl.

"See your date?" Van's voice came from behind her making her jump in surprise.

"Yeah." She said, her voice near to a growl. "I see him." She turned to Van and smiled at him. "Thanks again. I hope I can see you around." She said and bowed her head lightly to him before heading down towards Allen.

Allen Schezar was modeled to perfection. His blonde hair was gelled elegantly and his blue eyes were the loveliest Hitomi had ever seen. He was always dressed tastefully and always had a smile on his face. He always knew exactly what to say to make you quiver under your skirt. And when he turned those baby blues on Hitomi, she had to look at the floor to keep from melting.

Allen stood and smiled when he saw Hitomi, offering his arms open for a hug, which she ignored and sat down, draping her coat over the back of her chair. Allen's smile turned into a frown of confusion and Hitomi smiled at it.

"Hitomi, my love, what's the matter?"

"Allen, can we make this quick? I have things to do."

He sat back on his stool like chair and leaned into it. "What sort of things?"

"Allen, I'm tired of your games. I'm tired of how you never look at me the same way you do other girls. I'm tired of how you keep me locked up in your bird cage and ignore me physically." She stared him straight in the eyes, tears welding up again. "Aren't I good enough anymore?"

Allen looked shocked and Hitomi was happy he was. "Hitomi, of course you're good enough. It's just that…"

He was cut off by someone kissing Hitomi's cheek. Hitomi jumped lightly and turned towards the kisser. It was Van. Her heart seemed to skip a beat and she stared at him, confused.

"Follow along." He whispered and Hitomi, still a little confused, nodded her head.

"V-Van? How do you know Hitomi?" Allen's voice seemed cracked.

"She's my girlfriend." Van said simply and Hitomi felt herself blushing up.

"G-Girlfriend? But she's my girlfriend."

Van poked Hitomi in the back and she nodded. "Van can give me what you can't Allen. He can give me a love that you never bothered to show me. He actually cares." She whispered and leaned into Van's chest, wrapping his arms around her. He gave her a tight squeeze and laid his cheek against hers.

"My lawyer is fucking my girlfriend?" Allen asked himself. He seemed on the brink of hysterics.

"Did you ever find it a coincidence that we both agreed to meet you here, Allen? Wasn't it kind of odd?" and as Van said those words, she realized it was kind of odd that the three of them had met on the same night at the same place for the same person. Destiny, maybe. Naw.

"But, I arranged it." Allen pleaded.

"_After_ you talked to Hitomi, she talked to me. That's the only reason I would ever meet you here." Van looked around at the pulsating bodies on the dance floor and the bar with liquor bottles all over the counter. "You know I hate liquor _and_ clubs. Don't you think it was strange that I agreed to meet you at a bar?"

"I-I guess." The blond man stammered.

Hitomi got up from her seat and put her jacket back on. "Allen, I'm leaving you. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but truth be told, it's for the best. You get to flirt all you want and I get worthwhile hugs." She said, not bothering to look at his wide eyes.

Van came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Hitomi was about to whisper, "watch it" but she became enveloped in his embrace. She felt herself falling into it, and snuggling into his chest. Was she acting, or could Van really give her what Allen never could? No. Van was probably taken or married. But she didn't mind making the show last a little longer.

"H-Hitomi?"

Her voice came out kind of shakey, but strong, enough to get her message across to Allen, and her voice let Van know what he was doing to her. "Goodbye Allen." Van instantly loosened his bind on her and Hitomi could breath clearly without his scent interfearing.

"Hitomi?"

Hitomi drew out of Van's embrace and lead him by the hand towards the bar exit. She heard Allen call out her name in a shout almost, but it was a whisper over the blaring speakers.

Once they were outside, Hitomi pushed away from Van like he was contagious. "Why the hell did you do that?" She snapped.

Van looked hurt and because he had had so much effect on her back in the club, she wanted to kiss his pain away. "I thought I was doing you a favor. You said that you wanted to break it off with Allen. I thought I'd help you so you wouldn't have to go through that alone." He winced and took in a sharp breath. "Sorry if I didn't want to see you cry again."

Hitomi groaned and took a step closer to him. "Look, I'm sorry bout my temper. It's just, you don't know how much that hug effected me. I haven't been held that way in a long time, and to suddenly be swept up in a man's arms." She suddenly felt very cold. "It hurt. It hurt because I can't have what you promised." She sighed and winced at what her mother had told her all her life. "My mom made sure I knew that fairy tales never came true."

She heard Van sigh and could feel the warmth radiating off of him despite the thickening rain that was pouring between them. "Hitomi, you're drenched. Why don't you come back to my place? It's a little walk from here and it sure is easier than getting another cab and going home drenched."

Hitomi didn't know what to do. He had a point. If she showed up at home, soaking wet, since she had just so happen to leave her umbrella in the cab, after being out for less than twenty minutes, she would get hell. But if she did go with Van, who knew what could happen. And her mind liked the thought of what indeed could happen if it was just her and an amazingly cute boy alone in an house. She looked up into his pleading eyes, so kind and comforting. If she didn't know boys so well, she could've sworn there wasn't a guy thought rolling through his head. Merely chivalry.

"Ok, Van. But only for a little bit. I do have things to do and school is tomorrow."

Van's face lit up and it looked like he almost jumped. He turned towards the direction they were supposed to be walking and Hitomi caught up to him. He draped his arm around her shoulders and she found herself curling into his chest, again drunk with his smell and exhilarated from his warmth. She smiled to herself and allowed her to lead the way.

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A/N: It's not gonna get heavy for a while so don't get your hopes up. The next chapter can go one of two ways. It depends on how i decide to take it and if anyone reviews for this chapter.


	2. Flash Back

Hitomi stayed at Van's longer than she had ever at her friend Millerna's house. She walked through the door to her house at almost 2 in the morning, a goofy smile on her face. Her parents were sleeping and her brother, Chris, was listening to his rock music in his room, his dancing shadow visible under the door way.

The girl half danced to her room, humming one of her favorite love melodies to herself as she went. She fell back onto her bed and pulled Van's jacket closer around her, breathing in his scent. Van had offered to get her trench coat dry-cleaned and had given her, to keep, one of his oh so nice jackets. It was warm and cozy and the lovliest shade of black, all like Van.

She slid out of her heeled boots and semi damp clothes that Van had also given her and dressed into her nightgown, and hung her new jacket in her closet. She pounced on her bed and gripped her big brown teddy bear into her arms, squeezing it and burying her face into it until the true nature of 2 in the morning slowly overtook her mind and she laid out on her bed, getting ready for sleep. The only problem was, she couldn't sleep. Her mind was racing with thoughts about Van.

"_Here it is." Van said, unlocking a door that looked so much alike the ones they had passed before. _

_Hitomi walked in after Van and couldn't stop herself from staring at everything, mouth agape. "This is where you live?" she said after a couple tries._

_Van nodded and was blushing. Even red in the cheeks, Hitomi thought he was gorgeous. All the more so that they were in good lighting and out of the rain. "It's the apartment my father, brother, and I had lived in when I was growing up."_

_Hitomi could not believe how amazing everything was. The fire place was near to as big as her wall and the ceiling looked big enough to fit two garbage trucks on top of the other. The living room itself was the size of Hitomi's, Chris', and her parents' bedrooms combined and the kitchen/ bar was half that size. _

"_Wow." Was all she managed to say before Van offered her a seat on an expensive looking cloth couch with beautiful designs going along the fabric. Below the couch was a Persian rug that looked like a flame spreading across it and as Hitomi noticed, a lot of the furniture had somewhat the same design. Everything had the feeling of warmth and fire to it. Warm, bright, and welcoming. "I could get used to this." She said and heard Van snicker._

"_A lot of girls say that, but they never stay." He said sadly and Hitomi shot him a glance that could've frozen blood. Van immediately held his hands up. "Not mine. Folken's. He's my brother. He brings random girls to our apartment. They never stay long and that's mostly Folken's fault. He's a headstrong scientist who does anything to get his experiments to work." Van rubbed his temple and eased into a lounge chair that matched the couch. "It gets annoying easily."_

"_So your brother's a player?"_

_Van looked up at her through his fingers. "No. Not a player, but not picky about his women. Last night he came home with a pair of twins. They were both gorgeous and swee hearts. Any guy would be half as lucky to get them. They left an hour after they came, but the older one, Naria, promised to come back tonight."_

"_I see. But Van?"_

"_Yes, Hitomi?"_

"_If he's your brother, then why isn't he in charge of your family business."_

_Van's eyes narrowed, and Hitomi felt she'd insulted him in some way, but as she stared into his eyes, she realized they weren't directed at her. "He decided to go to med school and get a degree in something other than law. I, just having turned 18, inherited my father's company, and though I don't have a degree in law, a friend of my family, Balgus, takes care of legal affairs for me."_

"_How old are you Van?"_

"_Still only 18. How bout you, Hitomi?"_

"_18. But if you're 18, why aren't you in school?"_

"_I am in school, but it's privet tutoring. Come June, I'm going to go to college around here, get a degree in law and take the reins from there." He explained simply, leaning back into his seat and relaxing slightly. He shook his head and smiled at Hitomi. "Forgive my rudeness. Would you like something, Hitomi? I did offer you coffee or tea."_

"_No, I'm alright. Maybe later though." She smiled at him. "So."_

"_So." _

_They sat in silence for a few minutes, Van getting up once to start a fire in the fireplace and to get himself a glass of water. Hitomi finally got bored of waiting and said, "Mind if I look around?"_

"_Of course not. Oh, but first, why don't you change out of those damp clothes? I know my brother kept some of his old girlfriends' things and you can change into those." He said, leading her into obviously his brother's room with chemistry sets everywhere and a laptop marked '_FOLKEN FANEL_' on the lid. She stood there awkwardly for a moment while Van fished out some clothes and looked about the hallway, or what she could see from the doorway. There were pictures of a younger Van and a man a few years older than him with silver hair. They were grinning at the camera and holding up a huge fish that the two had caught. She jumped when Van threw her the clothes._

"_Those should fit. And you can change in this room." He said, leading her out of the room and into a bedroom with no pictures and nothing to indicate whose room it was. Hitomi guessed it was a spare and proceeded to change. After laying her wet clothes in a little pile, she took a look at herself in the mirror. _

_Van had chosen a pink dress that had a ripped effect on the end and looked like bird's feathers on the shoulders. Big white bird feathers. It was comfortable, and fit nicely, but it was a bit tight. It showed off her legs, lengthy and slender, and her figure nicely. She twirled in it once, then twice and smiled to herself. _

_She was bored, and felt like exploring a bit. The room she was in was a good place to start and she started with the desk, which were filled with papers and folders. She still thought the room was just storage space and moved to the closet. She thought there was going to be boxes and stuff in there, but instead she found a couple jackets hung up, dress shirts and nice slacks. But behind the clothes were pictures. Pictures of the silver haired boy, but older more mature looking. He too was handsome and Hitomi realized that must've been Van's brother._

_There were other pictures of a woman with long brown hair. She had the prettiest smile and looked like the nicest dressed so far. "That must be Van's mother." She whispered and touched the picture gently. It made her smile and she closed up the closet. She didn't do any more searching because she had come to the conclusion that the room she was in was Van's._

_There was a knock on the door and Hitomi opened it. Van looked her over, kind of wide eyed and grinning, but he, like before, kept his eyes on her face when he spoke. "Again, I ask if you want something warm to drink or eat?"_

_Hitomi smiled and gathered up her wet clothes. "Tea would be nice."_

_Van grinned and held out his hands for her clothes. "May I? I'll send them to be dry cleaned along with your coat. Things like that should be treated with care." Hitomi's heart jumped and she prayed that his words had a double meaning._

_She handed him the wet clothes and purposefully let her hand brush his. He was warm, even with the cold clothes in their hands, and Hitomi wondered how he could be warm all the time. She liked his warmth. Like the apartment, it was welcoming and had a tiny taste of fire. She liked it._

_Van turned and headed to the doors, Hitomi at his heels. She sat on the couch again, more self-conscious now that she was in a short dress, and crossed her ankles, straightening out the dress so it wasn't wrinkled. Van folded her clothes and laid them next to her damp jacket by the door along with a pile of other folded clothes, all male._

"_Are you cold, Hitomi?" Van called from the kitchen over rising steam._

_Hitomi rubbed her hands over the cold skin of her bare arms. "A little. I mean the fire's toasty and all, but I'm used to long sleeves." She explained._

_He retreated into the hallway again and returned with one of the black coats she'd seen. He handed it to her and said, "That should keep you warm."_

_Hitomi smiled and thanked Van before slipping into the jacket. It was warm and cozy and she shivered as the soft cloth brushed her skin. "better?" He asked and Hitomi moaned in reply. "I'll take that as a yes." He laughed and returned with two cups of steaming raspberry tea. Hitomi took hers and breathed in the scent lovingly. When she took a sip, it wasn't too hot, despite the fact that it was steaming. _

"_Oh my god, Van. It's delicious." She said taking another sip delightfully. _

"_Of course it is. I made it." He joked and took a sip of his own tea, licking his lips. Hitomi had stopped in mid motion to watch Van make that little gesture. She watched him sip at the tea with hungry eyes and suddenly her skin craved his. She dropped her shoulders and set the cup on the glass table in front of her. _

"_Van. I'm sorry. I better go." She stood to leave and peeled the jacket off of her. "Thanks for everything though." Hitomi headed towards the door and reached for her damp jacket and clothes. She was stopped when Van spun her in his arms and held her tight. _

"_Please don't go, Hitomi. I don't want to be alone." Hitomi's eyes opened wide when she heard that. She closed her eyes and cried into his chest. Silent tears soaked his red t-shirt that he had changed into while Hitomi had changed and she rubbed her cheek against the soft cloth. _

"_Van, can't do this anymore. I'm tired of getting hurt." She whispered._

"_Hitomi, I promise never to hurt you. I will protect you from everything around you." He whispered back and kissed her hair, rubbing her back gently. _

_Hitomi looked up at him, pleading in her eyes. "Really?"_

_He looked down at her, those garnets filled with promise and something that Hitomi had never seen before. Love. Did he love her? Or was he another player? Allen's eyes seemed to be filled with love, but look what he turned out to be. She cried into his chest and let him comfort her. "I promise Hitomi. I am bound to my word." He whispered and kissed her head again._

"Oh Van. Van. Van." She whispered, hugging the bear tighter till it looked like the beady black eyes. Hitomi couldn't help but grin like a love struck teenager as she remembered being in his arms. She held herself tight and breathed in the lingering scent of Van. Was she in love with Van? That was easy. Yes. Of course she was. But what made her smile fade was the question of if Van loved her.

She remembered the look in his eyes and desperately wanted to tell herself that the answer to that was yes, but she remembered his words. He'd protect her and he promised to never hurt her, but he didn't say anything about love.

Hitomi sighed in despair, her eyes filling with tears slowly, but she bit her lower lip to force them back. Just because he didn't say that he would love her, didn't mean that he wouldn't eventually.

But that was what she had said about Allen so many times. Was she directing herself for heartbreak, again? Was she leading herself into a trap? Probably, but Hitomi doubted that she could spend one more day without a pair of warm arms to fall into. She'd just have to endear her little secret until she found someone else who gave as wonderful as hugs as Van did. The next question was could she find someone as perfect?

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A/N: Sorry it's probably not as tasteful as the first chapter. It's basically just a very very long flash back from a few minutes ago after coming home from Van's place. If anything is out of place, or you think it needs to flow better, please e-mail me at or at . i'm glad have gotten 4 reviews on the first chapter. I hope more come. Oh, and I forgot to add this in the first chapter:

I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE! I AM MERELY USING NAMES IN A STORY I ALREADY HAD LAID OUT! SO NEH!

anyway. happy reading and I hope to have a chapter up soon. this is probably my favorite story to write right now. so many ways it could go horribly wrong or perfectly right.


	3. A Jealous Friend

Hitomi woke to the warm sun on her face and little golden droplets on her windowsill. She grinned and stretched lazily, her sleepy limbs feeling heavy and weighed down, but her mind was fully awake. She was excited to tell Yukari, her best friend, about Van. She just wasn't exactly looking forward to Celena's questions.

Celena was Allen's younger sister and she and him were extra close. When Allen and Hitomi were first dating, the two girls had become best friends, sure that the older brother and the green eyed girl would stay together forever. Now that Allen and Hitomi were no longer together, would they still be friends? Hitomi doubted it, and shook her head to free herself of those thoughts.

Her red numbered alarm clock blazed to life and made Hitomi nearly jump out of her skin. It was almost 7:15 and she had to be at school by 7:45. A quick glance in the mirror told her she wasn't going to be able to shower before then.

She slipped out of her PJs and into her school kimono, wrapping herself in Van's jacket. She was headed out the door, when she realized there was a note on the kitchen counter. It was written in her mother's perfect handwriting and Hitomi shoved it in her pocket before racing out the door.

The rain had left one nasty dent in the city streets. The sidewalks were near to being flooded by the rising water as the stream made its way to the gutters to be dumped into the sea. Hitomi smiled as a leaf dared to race her as she walked past it and she found herself running to catch up with it. She stopped only because people passing her by were giving her funny looks. Cheeks flushed, she picked up her pace as she finished the rest of the way to her school, head bent so no one would notice.

"Nice jacket, Hitomi." Yukari teased when she saw Hitomi rush to the front gate of Gaea High School just as the bell was beginning to ring.

"Not now, Yukari." Hitomi growled, running to the library before the bell finished and the campus guards came out to make sure there were no loiterers. She made it through the doors, huffing and puffing, Yukari trailing in behind her just as the bell gave it's last call.

They slid into seats at the only empty table in the library and Yukari nudged Hitomi pulling on the girl's new jacket. "Tell me where you got that jacket, Hitomi." The pink haired girl whispered, getting a glare from the ancient librarians on the other side of the room.

Hitomi couldn't help but blush as she remembered Van, and she didn't take off the coat, even though it was very hot in the library. Not wanting to get sweaty in the very nice jacket, she peeled it off and laid it on the tabletop, the best she could fold it without wrinkling it. "It's a friend's when mine got thrashed." She explained as plainly as she could, but could not keep bad thoughts filling into her friend's head.

"Oh my god, Hitomi! You've been less that 24 hours away from Allen and you already have a new guy!" Yukari leaned in and winked. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"Yukari! You are totally and completely rude beyond belief." Hitomi growled, opening up a folder from her bag.

"I know. That's why you love me." The brown eyed girl giggled, getting a rather harsh shush from the old brads in the back. The two girls giggled softly and pretended to study.

"I'll tell you after school, Yukari. I'll tell you everything after school." Hitomi giggled before returning to her book, glancing up at the coat every once in a while when her mind would stray.

School dragged by with each ominous tick of the school clock. Hitomi could not wait for the day to end and she could run home to see if Van had dropped off her clothes. As her mind played with that thought, she prayed that he hadn't just dropped off her clothes but also stayed around to hang out. She grinned to herself all through English and only saw his face as she watched the skinny arm ticking closer and closer to the twelve.

_Five._

_Four._

_Three._

_Two._

And with _one_ she was the first one out of her seat, racing down the halls, ignoring the text books waiting for her in her locker. If she missed one night of homework, it wouldn't kill her. She had solid A's, and new everything that was happening in all of her classes. She was safe.

She, along with the small groups of junkies that ditched 7th period, practically jumped out the door and ran away from the school, but what Hitomi saw down the crowded street stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Van?" A new black convertible Mercedes Benz was being used as a post for Van as he leaned against it, dressed to impress with black slacks, black silk shirt that flashed a bit of toned smooth chest, and a leather jacket to top it all off, Hitomi felt her heart skip a beat.

He grinned and walked towards her, arms open in welcome. She accepted those arms and let him hold her tight. "I have your clothes." He whispered and drew back so as to show Hitomi a little pile in the passenger seat, all wrapped up in that clear plastic the dry cleaners use to keep the clothes fresh. Hitomi found it funny to see her jeans and dress shirt cleaned up like that, but Hitomi thought it was sweet that he had gone through with it anyway.

"Thank you Van." She hugged him tight and grinned to herself as he hugged her back. She was really starting to like this guy.

Hitomi pulled back to slid off his jacket, but Van reached out and wrapped his arms around her. "Two things, Hitomi. One. You can keep the jacket. Two. We're not alone." With his eyes he pointed behind them and Hitomi heard a small gasp. She spun around and saw Yukari staring at the Benz, a hunger in her eyes that Hitomi had only seen in Yukari.

"_This_ is where the jacket came from?" The girl asked, slowly moving her eyes to the couple.

Hitomi blushed and nodded. "Yup. I told you I'd tell you after school, Yukari." She felt really awkward being in Van's arms with Yukari right there.

The pink haired girl walked up to them and stared Van square in the eyes, as if challenging him. Whatever she saw must've impressed her because she turned back to the car. "What exactly do you do, sir?"

Van cleared his throat and wrapped his arms around Hitomi's stomach. On reaction Hitomi leaned into him, spooning comfortably into him. "Van. Call me Van and I'm basically living off of my father's money." He said, nudging Hitomi in the back gently. She got the hint and kept her mouth shut.

Yukari looked back at the two and offered Hitomi her hand. "Van, will you excuse us for a minute. I've got to talk to Hitomi."

Van nodded his head and Yukari dragged her out of hearing distance of Van. "_That's _your little secret, Hitomi?" The girl said, and Hitomi could tell her best friend was jealous.

"He's not my secret, Yukari." Hitomi growled. "I was gonna tell you about him later tonight when I got home. I met him last night, so how on Earth could he be a secret?" She suddenly felt defensive.

"Whatever Hitomi." Yukari snapped. She turned and started walking away. "I'll call you, ok, Hitomi?" But what the silence said as Yukari kept walking was simple. Hitomi shouldn't wait up for that call.

Hitomi growled at Yukari's back and took in a deep breath to keep from doing something stupid. She felt tears starting, and fought to keep them back. She didn't like fighting with Yukari, but it was her friend's fault.

"Coming, Hitomi?" Van called from his Mercedes. She put on a somewhat forced smile that melted when she saw him.

He had taken off his leather jacket and rolled up his sleeves, showing oh so perfectly toned arms that one gets from labor and not body building. Hitomi felt her jaw drop and she had blink a couple times to get her wits in order and headed towards the car.

She slid into the front leather seat and settled into the cushion and let out a sigh. "What's the matter? Why'd your friend leave so suddenly?"

"She thinks you're my boyfriend." Hitomi whispered and she saw Van grin out of the corner of her eye. She sighed and shook her head. "I hope it'll blow over by later today." She said to herself and leaned against the door as Van pulled out from his spot by the sidewalk and headed towards her house.

* * *

A/N: sorry it's so short. This chapter is to basically introduce Yukari into Hitomi's life and how she has usually been jealous of Hitomi, winning Allen (who in this story takes the role of Amano) whom she'd have a crush on for a very long time. Just thought I'd explain that since I didn't exactly understand the whole thing as I wrote it. Lol. R&R please. tell me what u think of Yukari. 


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